Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen later confirmed that Father Jacques Hamel had been killed.

In a statement from Krakow, Poland, where Pope Francis was visiting, Lebrun says ‘I cry out to God, with all men of good will. And I invite all non-believers to unite with this cry … The Catholic Church has no other arms besides prayer and fraternity between men.’

An Italian politician later urged Pope Francis to put the slain French priest on a fast track for sainthood.

Roberto Maroni, the president of the Lombard region, said in an appeal circulated on social media that ‘Father Jacques is a martyr of faith’ and requested that the pope ‘immediately proclaim him St. Jacques.’

Shortly after the appeal, the hashtag (hash)santosubito, which translates as ’saint immediately,’ began circulating on Twitter.

The canonisation process is a lengthy one involving two miracles attributed to the person’s intercession, but in the case of a martyr only one miracle is needed, after beatification. There must first be a declaration by the Vatican that the person indeed died for the faith.